Stitching mechanism for signature-gathering machines.



W. I. LEWIS. I STITOHING MEGHANISM FOR SIGNATURE GATHERING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9,1906.

Patented Feb.28,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. LLEWIS I STITGHING' MECHANISM FOR SIGNATURE GATHERING MACHINES.

, APPLICATION PILI ID EAYQ, 1906.v 985,264.

L Patentd Feb. 28,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHAKE? 2.

W. LEWIS. STITGBIING MECHANISM FOR SIGNATURE GATHERING MACHINES.

APPLICATION. FILED MAY 9, 19 06.

Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

amw M 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' w. 1. Lawm STITQHING MECHANISM POE SIQNATUBE; GMHEBING MACHINES.

' 1 APBLIOATIDE' r1331: M112, 1900. 985,264.

70 gon 3 PatentedFeb. 28, 1911.

UNITED- TATES PAJYBZNTEZ QFFECJE.

. WILLARD I. LEWIS, OF WALPOLE, MASSAdTi-IUSETTS. ASSIGNOR TO HERBERT M. PLIIIIPTON, 0F NGRNOOD. MASSACHUSETTS.

STITCHING MECHANISM FOR IGIiATURE-GATHERING MACHINES.

Application filed May 9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLARD I. Lewis citizen of the l mted States and resident of \Valpole, county of Norfolk, Massachusetts,

and bound or secured together by wiring,

stitching or other suitable binding devices.

' In magazine or pamphlet work it is cus tomary to secure the packs or bundles or signatures together after they have'been collected by presenting them manually to stitching mechanism which forms and introduces the wire staples or other devices which serve to bind the signatures together. This mode of procedure requires the handling of the collected signatures as they are delivered from a signature gathering machine andalso requires that the backs of the signatures be carefully alined in presenting them tov the stitching mechanism.

It is the object of the present invention to eliminate this handling and manipulating of the collected signatures and to avoid the inaccuracies incident to such handling and manipulation and this is accomplished by combining with the. collecting mechanism of a signature gathering machine a stitching mechanism to which the packs of collected signatures are intermittently and successively presented after they have been collected.

The various features of the invention will he set forth in the claims and will he understood from the followingdetailed description of the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings which embodies these features in the. forms in which it is preferred to employ them.

In these drawingsl*ignre 1 is a side eleration of so much of a signature gathering machine as is necessary to illustrate .the application of the present invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 3' 3 Fig. 1'. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 5 is a" plan view showing a feedingframe by which the collected signa-" Specification of Letters Patent.

table extendin V section ll) .t'atentcri Feb. 28, 1911.

Serial No. 315.897.

turcs are trimsterretl from the collecting iin =':lniiiisiii into position to be acted upon by the stitching mechanism. Fig. 6 is a detail of parts shown in Fig. 'Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view on line 7 7 Fig. 1; and F 8 is a transverse sectional view on line 88 Fig. 1.

For the purpose of illustration the arious features of the invention have been shown in the accompanying drawings embodied in a machine in which the mechanisms for acting upon and collecting the various signatures have the same general construction and mode of operation as the corresponding devices shown and described in the patent to Pray No. 767,081 August 9, 1904. In this machine the stacks of signatures from which .individual signatures are separated and transferred to the collecting mechanism are supported within a series of magazines arranged'in succession along the machine, one of which is indicated at 1 in Fig. 3. The lowermost signature in each stack of signatures is separated from the stack of signatures in the magazine by the action of pickers 2 mounted upon a bar 3 which is carried by an oscillating arm 4. The mode of operation of these pickers is clearly described in the patentreferred to. .The signatures separated by the pickers 2 from the stacks of. signatures in the magazines are with-- drawn from the stacks by. grippers indicated at 5 which are carried by a shaft 6 and which act to deliver the signatures in front of a series of collecting fingers 7. The signatures delivered by the grippers are supported upon a laterally inclined collecting longitudinally of the niachinc and the signatures are advanced along (his table by the travel of the fingers 7 which are secured to an endless carrier chain 8 and project up through slots in the table. The. collecting table consists of inner and outer sections 9 and 10 which are supported from beneath and extend from end to end of the machine and of intermediate strips 11 which are supported at oppositeends and extend from end to end of the machine between the collecting fingers 7. The inner of the collecting table is provided with an upwardly projecting guard or flange 12 against which the lower ends of the signatures ride as they are advanced along the collecting table. Near. the delivery cnd ot' the col ecting table the onto;

T succes ively into position to receive the signatures from the successive grippers 5. thefingers traveling the distance from one signature holding magazine to another at each revolution of the shaft (5.

The parks or bundles of signatures which have been transferred to the collecting table and; collected by the collecting lingers 7 are transferred from the collecting mechanism to stitching mechanism y whi h the signatures are bound or secured together. In the construction shown this stitching mechanism consists oftwo wire stitchcrs indicated at. 15 (Figs. 1. 2. 4, and 8). These stitchers may he of any suitable and well known construction suelras are employed for forming and inserting .wire stitches -or staples in pamphlets or magazines. 'I he stitehers arcoperated at proper intervals during the operation of the machine through gearing 16 which connects the operating shafts of the stitchers with a shaft 17, The shaft 17 is driven'from the shaft. 6 (Fig. 3) through elliptical gears 18 so arranged that the staple forming and driving mechanism of the stitchcrs will he driven at a high rate of speed at the time that the staples are being formed and forced through the packs of signatures.

In the machine Shownthe signatures are delivered to the collecting table in such position that the backs of the signatures are engagcd by the collecting fingers 7 and the stitchers are arranged transversel of the.

path of travel of the signatures so that two wirestaples or stitche will he stnmltane- -ot tsly inserted at the proper pointsv near the backs of the signatures. The signatures are supported during the operation of the stitching mechanism and da ing their travel into position to be operated upon by the stitching mechanism by a supporting table arrangedrin a plane parallel with the plane of the collecting table and comisting of outer and inner plates it). 20 and an intermediate plate or strip 21. These st rips or plates which form the supporting table are secured upon transverse bars which also support or form the clenching anvils for the. wire stitching devices tl 'ig l and H). The hat-s22 are secured to bracket 2 by bolts Z-lwh'ich pass through vertical slots in the brackets and these bars may he vertically adjusted by means of screws 2.) in adapting the machine for ctillecting and stitching dif-.

fcrent thi knesses of product. .\t its inner end the plate or strap 21 ts provided with two thin resilient extensions 21. the ends of which.nndcrlie lips 'lt'i'formed on the up-- per fare of the straps ll of the collecting tahl as indicated in Figs. "land T. The inner and outer plates 1-9 and 20 are also pro vided with thin resilient extensions 1 and i the ends of which underlie lips similar to the lips .20 formed on the outer and' inner plates 9 andiO of the collecting table. 'lltese. resilient extensions on the strips or plates forming the supporting table over which the signatures pass, form a support for the signatures as the are ttwttisferred from the colle ting table to the supporting table and these exten ions automatically accommodate themselves to the different adjnstments of thelsnpporting table.

. The means for taking the collected signatures from the collecting mcehanism and bringing them in succession into position beneath the stapling mechanism, comprises a frame arranged above the path the signature and provided with feeding Ilflgers-which rise during the backward stroke of the frame so that they pass over the packs of signatures and then move d0wn\ 'ard-.into position hack of the packs of signatures so that on the for aid movement of the frame they will act.to engage the packs of signatures and move them forward; In the construction shown this frame consists of two side bars 27 and 28 connected by trans- 'verse bars 29 and 30 (Fig. 5). The front end of the feeding-frame is supported and guided by means of two rolls 31 mounted upon a transverse shaft 32 and arranged to engage guiding grooves 33 formed in two fixed guide bars 34. The rear end of the frame is supported and guided by means'of nected to the side bars.27- and 28 at some distance from their rear ends and these straps extend toward the rear ends of the bars and about the segments 38 and 3t) and have their rear ends secured to the segments. The straps 42 and 44 are connected to the bars 27 and 28 near the rear ends'of the. bars and extend toward the forward ends of the ha rs and about the segments 38 and 39 and have. their free, ends secured to the seg ments. By this form of connection between the feeding frame and the segments 38 and 39 the frame is held snugly against the peripheries of the segments and is moved backward and forward as the. segments are oscillated, the straps 41 and 43 unwinding from the segments and the straps 42 and 44 being wound upon the segments as the frame advances. while the straps 42 and 4-4 g "am...

Y pile of signatures.

unwind from the egments and the straps it and t3 wind upon the segments as the frame is retracted. in order that the straps may be tightened and held taut the segments are made in sections which may be adjusted in opposite directions about the shaft to by means of screws which pass. through lug -l6 in one section and engage the side-of a recess 47 in the other section as indicated in Fig.

The shaft 40 is oscillated to etlc-ct the reciin'ocation of the feed frame by. means of a gear segment 48 secured to a rock shaft in and engaging a pinion 54) on the shaft to. The rock shaft 49 is provided witlrarms 51 in the ends of which is mounted a bar .32.

The bar 32 is connected by a crank pin 53 with a crank disk .34 secured to the end of the shaft (3, As the shaft t) revolves the bar 52 is carried up and down by the crank pin. thus oscillating the shaft 4-9. the bar sliding longitudinally in the anus 51 to accommodate the rotary movement of the crank pin.

in the construction shown the feeding frame is provided with three sets of feeding fingers and at each reciprm-atiou of the frame three packs .of signatures are advanced. the rear pack being taken from the collecting fingers and zulvanced out of the path of travel of the fingers and this pack being advanced during the next succeeding advance movement of the. feeding frame into position to. register with the stapling mechanism and then during the next succeeding advance movement of the feeding frame being removed from the stapling mechanism and either discharged from the machine or presented to delivery devices by which it may be carried to any convenient position for handling.

The feeding fingers for taking the pack of signatures from the collecting mechanism consist of two fingers 55 loosely mounted on the shaft 33 and provided at their forward ends with vertical faces 56 for engaging the backs of the signatures. These fingers are provided with forward extensions 57 which rest upon pins 5 and thus support the fingers. During the backward or retracting movement of the feeding frame inclined surfaces ht on the fingers which extend from their rear ends to their forward ends ride againstthe signatures which are being ad vanced by the collecting fingers 7 so that the feeding fingers are raised above the signatures and dragged along over the top of the pile of signatures until the front ends of the fingers pass beyond the 'rear of the pile of signatures when the fingers drop into position with the vertical faces 56 back of the This action of the feeding fingers upon the signatures tends to crowd them snugly against the feeding fingers 7 and the fingers thus act as jogging devices for keeping or bringing the backs of the signatures in alinement. As the feeding frame starts forward the feeding fingers 5.3 engage the backs of thesignatures and carry the pile of signatures away from the fingers T. the movement of the feeding frame being accelerated by the action of the crank which operates it. Thus the pile of signature is carried forward away from the finger T and out of the path of the fingers so that they may pass down around the sprocket wheel 14 without disarranging the signatures in the pile. By the advance movement of the lingers 35 the pile of collected signatures is carried up the support between the collecting table and the supporting table and is brought into the position indicated in Fig. 4. The feeding lingers for further advancing the pack or pile of signatures consist of two sets of feeding fingers 5!) and (it) which are secured to two bars til extending longitudinally of the feeding frame between the bars 27 and These bars (it are supported at opposite ends upon bellcrank levers a2 and as. the lever (32 being mounted upon a transverse shaft tit near the front end of the feeding frame and the bcllcrank lever (i3 being secured to the shaft 35 at the rear end of the feeding frame. The bellcrank levers are connected by a rod (34 so that they will move in unison and by the rocking movement of the hellcrank levers the bars (51 are raised and lowered in unison to raise and lower the feeding fingers 3!) and (it). The means for operating the bellcrank levers to raise and lower the feeding fingers consists of an arm secured to one end of the shaft 35 and provided at its outer end with a roll (it; which engages a slot (37 formed in a bar (Sit. The bar (58 is carried in arms 69 secured to a rock shaft 70. The rock shaft 70 is operated at proper intervals to raise and lower the bar 68 and thus rock the shaft 35 to raise and lower the feeding fingers by the operation of a cam 71 secured to the shaft (3. The cam 71 engages a roll 72 secured to-a lever 73 and this lever is connected with the shaft 70 by means of a roll Tl engaging a radial slot 75 formed in an arm 76 secured to the shaft it). In order that the vertical movements of the feeding fingers may be varied for different thicknesses of product. the roll 74- is carried by a slide T7 adjustably secured upon the lever 73 by means of a bolt T9 passing through a slot TS) in the. slide. The adjustment of the slide may be effected by means of a nut 80 threaded on a rod 8-1 projecting from the upper end of the slide as indicated in Fig. 3. During the return movement of the feeding frame thefingers 59 and above the packs of signatures which occupy the positions i and B Fig. 4. As the frame reaches the rearward limit. of its movement the fingers 5t) and G0 are lowered so that they lie back of the packs of signatures and (it) are raised so that they passvanee this pack from the position B to the position 0 where the pack may drop into a suitable receptacle or may be delivered onto a belt or other delivery device.

Inadjusting the mechanism for a given thickness of pack or pile of signatures, the support formed by the plates 19, 20 and 21 is so adjusted that the tops of the piles of signatures as they are transferred from the collecting table to this support will be brought against a retaining plate or strip 82 which extends longitudinally above the supporting table at a suitable height to bear against the upper surface of the piles of signatures and maintain them accurately in proper alinement. The plate 82 is secured at one end to a bar 83 which issupported upon the guide bars 34 and at its other .nd this plate is bifurcated and. spread lateraily as indicated in Figs. 3aud 7 and is supported upon a transverse rod 84:.

By the operation of the mechanism described the signatures collected by the collecting mechanism may be rapidly and accurately transferred from the collecting mechanism to the stapling mechanism without. danger of getting the signatures out of alincment and the signatures may be secured or bound together and then delivered ready for the securing of the covers thereto.

While it is preferred to employ the construction and arrangement of mechanisms and parts shown and described in embodying the various features of the invention in a simple and efficient mechanism, it will be understood that the forms and arrangements may be varied to suit the conditions under which the invention is to be employed without departing therefromf \Vithout attempting to set forth the various forms and arrangements in which the features of the invention may be embodied, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent iscl. A machine having in eoililiinatiol'l, a

collecting table, traveling feeding fin ers for advancing the signatures along the table, a. vertical! y zidyusiable table arranged at the end of the collecting table, a support eX-' tending from one table to the other. a stitching mechanism above the second table, and intermittently acting feeding fingers for taking the packs of collected slgnatures from the collecting fingers and presenting them to the stitching mechanism, substantially as described.

2. A machine having in combination, a collecting table, traveling feeding fingers for advancing the signatures along the table, asup orting table arranged at the end of the co ecting table and in a parallel plane, th upport extending from one table to the 0th 1', stitching mechanism above the second table, and a reciprocating feedin frame arrangedaabove the supporting tab e and pro vide d tvith feeding fingers for advancing the packs of signatures from the collecting fingers to the stitching mechanism, substantially as described.

3. A machine having in. combination, a collecting table, traveling feeding fingers for advancing the signatures along the'tabie, a supporting table arranged at the end of the collecting table, a support extending from one table to the other, a retaining plate extending longitudinally above the supporting table, a ;,;titching mechanism abovetl'ie supporting table, and means for transferring the packs of signatures from the collecting table into position to be acted upon by the stitching mechanism, substantially as described.

4'. A machine having in combination, means fondelivering packs of signatures in succession, a stitching mechanism, a vertically adjustable supporting'table below the stitching mechanism, a reciprocating feeding frame above the supporting table, and vertically movable feeding fingers carried by said frame for advancing the packs of signatures from the delivering means to the stitching mechanism, substantially as described.

5. A machine having in combination, a stitching mechanism, a vertically adjustablesupporting table below the stitching mechanism, a reciprocating feeding frame above the supporting table, feeding fingers pivoted upon said frame and provided with i11- clined surfaces for engaging the stacks of signatures and raising the fingers on the return stroke of .the feeding frame, and means for advancing the stacks of signatln'es into position to be operated upon by the stitching mechanism, substantially as described.

6. A machine having in combination, a collecting table consisting of longitudinally extending plates, means for advancing the signatures along said table, a supporting table arranged at the end of the collecting table and comprising longitudinally extending pla tes, resilient extensions upon the plates of the supporting table, and lips upon the plates of the collectiugtable under which "the ends of the resilient extensions engage,

stitching mechanism above the supporting table and means for advancing the stacks of signatures from the collecting table into the frame, substantially as desrri position to be operated u n by the stitch" mg mechanism, substantially as described. I

7. In a signature gathering machine the combinatior'i of collecting table, traveling i signatm'es along I suplingers for advancing the the table, a stitching mechanism, a porting table below said mechanism. a reciprocating frame provided with feeding fingers, and means for moving said fingers out of the path of the signatures during the return stroke oi the frame, substantially as deserlbed.

8. In a signature gathering machine the combination of a collecting table, traveling fingers forndvancing the signatures along the table, a stitching mechanism, a supporting table below the stitching mechanism, a reel rocating feeding frame provided with feetingvfingers, means for moving the fingers out of the path of the signatures durmg the return stroke of the frame and moving said fingers into the path of the signa tures at' the end of the return movement of I be] 9. In a machine the combination itching mechanism, a supporting tab e l)(- ow the stitching mechanism, a reciprocating feeding frame above the supporting table, lingers 55 ivoted upon said frame and provided wit] inclined surfaces, feeding lingers '1) and 60 mounted upon said frame, and mechanism for raising and lowering the feeding fingers 59 and 60, substantially as described.

10. Inamachine the combination of stitching mechanism, a supporting table below the stitching mechanism, a reciprocating feeding frame abm'o the supporting table provided wilh feedin fingers, rocking segments 3N and 29. an straps 41, 42. 43, 44: connecting the frame with said segments, 0 substantially described.

11. In a machine the combination ot'stitching un-ehanisin. a rm-tically adjustable supporting table below said nm-hanism :on1 prising longitudiimlly extending plates, at 45 reciprocating feeding frame above the supporting table provided with vertically 1nm'- able feeding lingers, and a retaining plate 82 extt-ndin r longitudinally abow the supportin 'table, substantially as described.

12. n a machinethecombination (ifktitclr ing mechanism, a supporting table 'lhtlow sa dmechanism, a reclprmating feeding frame above the siqiporting' table, bars "(it provided with feeding fingers 59 and ($0, levers 52 and 33 in which said bars are mounted a rod (31 connecting said-levers, a shaft 35 to which the lever 63 is secured, an arm 65 secured to said shaft, a guide bar 68 provided with a slot (37 engaged by said arm, and means for raising and loweriug'the bar (38. substantially described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set. my hand, this 4th day of May, 1900.

/VILLARI) I. LEWIS.

In the presence of FRANK O. PILSBKJRY, WILLIAM H. CLARKE. 

